Most Thursdays, Mason has a teleconference around 3 or 4am to accommodate people in various time zones in the Pacific. So on our anniversary he was up and out of the house early! He ended up heading home a little after lunchtime, since he'd put in a full days work and we drove down to the Navy base to check out a snorkeling area that Mason recalled from when he was deployed here in 2011. The Navy base is about 45 minutes South of where we were, so we loaded up and the boys relaxed while we drove to Gab Gab Beach.
We arrived when it was lower tide and since it was Thursday there were not many people there at all, which is nice because we have friends who went this past weekend that said it was a zoo. There was a parking area and changing area right near the water so that was nice, and is helpful with the kiddos. There is a deeper area where you could tell people were jumping in and just having fun. The water was pretty clear, so there was an area with stairs into the water when one of us would stay with the kids while the other took a turn snorkeling. The kids enjoyed hanging out by the stairs and the rocks because it gave them a vantage point into the water where they could see lots of fish swimming and even a starfish hanging out.
The water was pretty clear and since it is near a bay, the water drops off after a point where you can't really see the bottom. I did not venture out that far. While I love swimming and am pretty good at it, something about losing sight of the bottom (or the surface for that matter) panics me...so I'll be leaving the scuba lessons for Mason. There were some beautiful fish. At this point we didn't have our GoPro from our shipment yet, but it will be fun to have an underwater camera on our next adventure. Mason was the first to go out and while he was snorkeling the kids and I played in the water and then also walked over to the beach area (which actually disappeared by the time we left at high tide). The boys have been really enjoying playing in the shallow water with their sand toys.
When Mason ventured back I took my chance. The water had some very cold and some very hot pockets which were strange to feel as you swim in them. One fish even took a nibble at me, and there were tons of sea cucumbers in the water. I'm really glad we brought so many pairs of water shoes, because they are a must at the beaches and in the water. Mason walked along the shore with the boys while I was out snorkeling and they checked out the rock formations.
We decided to take one more dip into the water we first started in. There were a few more people at this point, and the tide was coming in, which we've heard isn't as ideal of a time to snorkel because the water clouds up, which we discovered to be true. HOWEVER, Mason spotted a purple squid and a sea turtle on his swim! He rushed back so I could go see the sea turtle, but I was never able to find it. The lucky dog, went out one more time and found that sea turtle AGAIN! I guess I'll take his word for it that he got to see it. :)
This is definitely a location that we'd go back to snorkel in, and once we have some babysitters and the kids are more settled I'm looking forward to adventuring with Mason. It's a little more fun to go with a buddy.
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